Hello, all.
I have not yet shared my faith on social media, something that I should have changed about my social media outreach long ago. However, there is presently an issue that has been weighing very heavily on my heart. By now, many people are familiar with an issue plaguing various parts of the country currently: the issue of repealing the amendment that states that a homosexual may not be turned down for a job by a private or religious institution. Another popular feature of this amendment is that it allows men who sexually identify themselves as a woman may use the women's restroom and vice versa. The pro-repeal group seeks to repeal this amendment that has been set in place, giving back the religious freedom to those private institutions and those who feel uncomfortable with the opposite sex in the bathroom. The anti-repeal group argues that repealing the amendment would be discrimination against homosexuals. The vote takes place tomorrow, and there has been a lot of debate and commentary made on this subject. I have read many posts by my Facebook friends and former classmates that degrades the Christian community and threatens to delete anyone off social media who has the opposite opinion of what they hold. I have read many articles on both sides that are derogatory towards the other. I am truly disappointed and saddened by the hate that is coming from this argument, particularly the pro-LGBT community who proclaim that we should all "Love as Jesus would" yet continue to slander the Christian community for their beliefs.
All of this being said, I have a few things that I would like to share. First and foremost, it is not my intention to slander or hurt anyone. I refuse to be that person that deletes someone simply because I don't like their opinion. However, I hold a completely faith-based opinion of the matter at hand. This topic requires a lot of careful thought, prayer, and research. I have given myself a couple weeks to meditate upon this and this is what I have come to.
I refuse to compromise my beliefs in order to be politically correct. I am a Christian. A practicing, pentecostal-AG Christian. Many people in the Christian community have recently come out to say that they will vote "no" to repeal this amendment because they have, in some way, a connection to the LGBT community. That connection might be a family member, loved one, or perhaps themselves. However, I am here to tell you that the statements made by some of those in the community are downright blasphemous to our faith. Christians are condoning homosexual behavior under the premise that "God created them that way and He does not want them to change." This sort of thinking is sickening to our faith. God, the Creator of all that is good. God who is perfect and created man and woman to be together and proclaimed THAT to be good. That same God that rained hell-fire down on Sodom and Gomorrah for their sexually immoral and homosexual practices. That God doesn't want you to change? I think not.
Everyone is tempted by sin, but where the problem comes in is when we act upon it. Different temptations are presented to different people by the devil, based on where our weaknesses are. In some cases, that is alcohol. In other cases, it is sexual promiscuity. It might be an addiction to pornography or to tobacco. It also includes homosexual practice. It is one thing to be tempted by the flesh of another man or woman, but it is an entirely different ball game once we act upon our temptations. The problem is that our culture, including some in the current Christian culture, likes to think that homosexuality is no longer a sin because times have changed and mankind has adapted. Let me ask my fellow wavering Christians this, then: Why would God be so adamant about restraining oneself against homosexual practice if in a few thousand years it would be allowed? Because it will never be allowed. Here are a few places to prove it.
Leviticus 18:22- "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable."
In this chapter, the Lord spoke to Moses and asked him to warn the Isrealites not to give into the sexually immoral practices taking place in Egypt or Canaan. I encourage everyone to take a look at that list, but the translation is pretty clear. There is literally no other interpretation to be made other than a man will not have sex with another man.
1 Corinthians 7:2- "But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, each woman her own husband."
In this passage, Paul is speaking to the Corinthians about the decision of man to not marry. However, at this time, Corinth is a very sinful place and can often be compared with Christian communities now. Paul was speaking to the Christians in Corinth, who had began to abandon their devotion to Christ in order to achieve a worldly status or materialistic life. The Corinthians were sexually immoral, another point Paul makes. He tells the Corinthians to expel the sexually immoral brother and gives only one example of a man sleeping with his father's wife. However, homosexuality did take place in Corinth. It falls under the category of sexual immorality, along with adultery and sexual relations outside of marriage. In the passage above, Paul once again makes it clear that a man would be with a woman, and that a woman should be with a man.
Mark 10:6-9- "But at the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
This passage deals with divorce and the sacredness of a marriage between a man and a woman. Mark even alludes to how they are compatible as one flesh based on the creation of their bodies by God. By practicing in homosexuality, man separates this sacred bond that God has designed for mankind. One defense that some might use against this is that technically speaking, men could be considered compatible in the flesh. Which brings me to the next passage.
Genesis 19:4-6- "Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom- both young and old- surrounded the house. They called to Lot, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them. Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, 'No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.'"
The context of this passage is that two male angels arrived in the city and took refuge with Lot. The men of the city wanted to sexually abuse these men, angels particularly, and Lot was so horrified by this sin that he even offered his own virgin daughters in place of the angels. The word "sodomy" gets its name from this incident of homosexual practice. Sodomy is repeatedly condemned in the Bible. Since homosexuality is largely based on sodomy, in a man's case, it is pretty clear that the act of homosexual practice is not allowed. Lot is a classic case of a Christian living in and putting up with a sinful community in order to reap the material and social perks. Eventually, God is so furious with Sodom and Gomorrah that he rains down hell-fire upon the city and incinerates it. It is hard to imagine that a God so angered with homosexual practice would want a man who struggles with homosexuality to remain in his sin.
What is my point with all of this? As I have said previously, everyone struggles with temptation. So do I think that just because someone is tempted by homosexual thoughts that they are going to hell? No way. I am tempted every day by various things, yet I do not act upon them. I am lucky enough to have people who keep me accountable and push me to grow in my faith. But there are those in the Christian community who are encouraging those struggling with homosexuality and allowing their brothers to slip farther and farther into sin. Essentially, it is the least "Jesus-like" thing you could do.
Many people, both Christian and non-Christian, proclaim that because we do not condone homosexuality, we are not being Christ-like. The phrase "Love like Jesus would" is being wildly overused and out of context. Yes, Jesus loves you. He loves the homosexuals, he loves the murderers, he loves the felons. But doesn't loving someone also mean wanting the best thing for them? Doesn't it mean wanting them to succeed? Do you think that by condoning homosexual behavior and allowing someone to damn them-self that you are truly loving them? Jesus wants us all to be with him in heaven for eternity. Jesus knows that by sinning over and over again and by never repenting for it that we will not make it into heaven to spend an eternity with him. The thing is that Jesus died so that we would all have that opportunity and by indulging in temptation, we are throwing his sacrifice to the wind. Not only that, by making excuses for our friends and family members who do struggle with homosexuality, we are literally doing the exact opposite of what Jesus would do. That's not loving someone at all.
So yes, I love all of these people. I truly do. I don't want anyone to have to spend an eternity in hell when they could be in heaven with their God and Father. And because I do love them, I refuse to condone their practices in order to be politically correct. I don't want to be a product of this world, nor do I want to lose myself to my culture. It saddens me that so many in the Christian community have done just that: lost themselves and their faith.
So if you ask me, I will vote yes to repeal tomorrow. I believe that private religious institutions have the right to not hire someone if they will not be a positive example for students. If a homosexual professor was hired at Evangel University, they would be coming into contact with students who are still growing their faith everyday. They might even come into contact with students who are struggling with homosexuality, but haven't actually done anything about it yet. That influence could be the difference between a student justifying their temptation or overcoming it. Similarly, I feel that it is a violation of my own personal rights as a woman if a man walks into the women's restroom and goes right next to me. It's not a discrimination against homosexuals, it's an invasion of privacy for those who have female parts. Not only that, the mass amounts of pedophiles and sexual predators who would take advantage of that would be astronomical. It's not that I don't want a homosexual in the stall next to me, it's that I don't want a MAN next to me.
So here is what I would like to leave you with. "Love thy neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment," -Mark 12:31. I would like to encourage all those in the Christian community to do just that. Love your neighbor, friend, or family member that is struggling with their temptation, but love them as you would yourself. Do you want to spend an eternity in hell? Then why would you allow another to send them-self there?
